Pakistan launched retaliatory airstrikes in Iran Thursday against “terrorist hideouts” that killed at least nine people following Iran’s Tuesday attack in Pakistan.
Ali Reza Marhamati, Iran’s deputy governor of the impacted province, said at least three women, four children and two men died along the border with Pakistan, The Associated Press (AP) reported. (RELATED: Iraq And Pakistan Angry At Iran, Recall Ambassadors As Tensions Heat Up)
The government official stressed that none of the dead were Iranian citizens, The AP noted. The Pakistan military emphasized that they were targeting the Baluchistan Liberation Front (BLF) that operates in the area, according to the outlet. The BLF denied it had hideouts in Iran and that any of its members were killed, CNN reported.
The military attack on the group was dubbed “Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar,” which a press release by Pakistan’s foreign ministry called “a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts.” The operation’s name loosely translates to “death to the guerrilla fighters,” CNN noted.
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Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar
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The formal announcement of the attack by Pakistan attempted to lessen the implications of the strike in Iranian territory.
“Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry’s press statement claimed. “Iran is a brotherly country and the people of Pakistan have great respect and affection for the Iranian people. We have always emphasized dialogue and cooperation in confronting common challenges including the menace of terrorism and will continue to endeavor to find joint solutions.”
Iran publicly condemned the strike and demanded an explanation from Pakistan, Tasnim News reported. This incident was preceded by the Wednesday assassination of Col. Hossein-Ali Javdanfar, a senior Iranian officer in the Revolutionary Guards, near the Pakistani border and an attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish al-Adl terrorist organization on Iranian territory, PressTV reported.